Janet Napolitano, President, University of California; Former Secretary of Homeland Security

Dr. Mary Marcy, President, Dominican University of California

As of September 30, Napolitano is the 20th president of the University of California. She will lead a university system with 10 campuses, three affiliated national laboratories, and a statewide agriculture program. In one of her first public appearances in this new position, President Napolitano will outline her vision for the UC system.

California is changing. Irreversible forces -- demographic, economic, environmental and social – are emerging in ways that could lead to a new dawn of progress and prosperity, mirroring other fundamental transformations that have occurred across the state’s history. Or, misunderstood and mismanaged, this convergence of what are truly global forces could leave California a fractured and failing state -- unwilling to unite in common causes vital to the public good, unable to stir innovation and service new industry, incapable of providing hope to those who seek a better life, and powerless to protect the environment that has been essential to California’s unique footing in the world. As it has in past transformational moments, the University of California must play a critical role if the state is to come through this passage to a better place. If California is to remain a beacon of individual opportunity and societal advance, then it is incumbent on the University of California to lead the way.

Part of The Club’s Series on Ethics and Accountability, underwritten by the Charles Travers Family.